Tomahawk man gets jail for driving drunk with stepson

Henry Hughes, 20, of Tomahawk, appears for his hearing at the Lincoln County Courthouse on Nov. 30, 2016. Hughes was accused of killing his 23-day-old son in Sept. 4.(Photo: T'xer Zhon Kha/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin)Buy Photo

MERRILL - A 20-year-old Tomahawk man accused of killing his infant son was sentenced Tuesday to 120 days in jail in a separate case in which he was convicted of driving drunk with his stepson in the vehicle.

Henry Hughes was charged in June after he swerved off the road in the town of Harrison with his 18-month-old stepson in the vehicle, according to court records.

The boy had a large bump on his head, an abrasion on the right side of his neck and a cut to his forehead as a result of the crash, court records say. Hughes told police he swerved to avoid hitting a doe with fawns, but a preliminary breath test showed he had a 0.17 percent blood alcohol content. That is more than twice the legal limit for driving in Wisconsin. Police found a marijuana pipe on Hughes after he was arrested, court records say.

Hughes appeared Tuesday in Lincoln County Circuit Court and pleaded no contest to driving drunk and injuring a passenger, according to court records. Lincoln County Judge Jay Tlusty sentenced Hughes to 120 days in jail and revoked his driver's license for two years. He was given credit for three days he already served.

Hughes was charged with first-degree reckless homicide and child abuse in November, a few months after his infant son was taken to a hospital after becoming unresponsive, according to Tomahawk Police Chief Al Elvins.

The baby was taken to Ministry Saint Joseph's Hospital in Marshfield, where he died Sept. 18, according to court documents. Doctors found the boy had “severe and abusive head trauma,” Elvins said.

The boy also had fractured ribs and a fractured right ankle, court records say.

A pretrial conference is scheduled for May 18 in that case. Hughes could face up to 60 years in prison if he is convicted of first-degree reckless homicide.